Google Classroom: Add and Create

One challenge of Google Classroom is not knowing what the student side looks like. Understanding what the stuents have available to them helps when designing assignments. When a student clicks on OPEN in an assignment from their browser they will see 2 buttons. One that says Add and another that says Create.

What to Add

After clicking on OPEN students can ADD anything from their Google Drive, a link or attach a file from the computer. Note that students must be the owner of the file in order to attach the document.

I like students to take screenshots frequently when they are doing digital work and submit the screenshots to show their progress through the activity. Students can click on the paperclip file icon to add the screenshots. Students can hold down the shift key to select multiple screenshots

Attaching screenshots to a Google Classroom assignment.

Do Not Do All The Work

There is no need to create a template for every assignment. Unless a graphic organizer is really necessary it is better for students to learn to create their own documents and format them in a way that clearly communicates their ideas. Instruct students to click on the OPEN button in Google Classroom and click on CREATE to create a blank Google text document, Google Slides presentation, Google Sheets spreadsheet or a Google Drawing. Even better, have the students determine which tool is the best tool to communicate their ideas.

Send Feedback

The Google Classroom team reads every piece of feedback. Look for the question mark in the bottom left-hand corner of Google Classroom. Choose “Send feedback.” If you like this feature of the create and add buttons being separate make sure you tell the Google Classroom team! Share your other ideas too!